Shifu
Master Shifu is the deuteragonist of Kung Fu Panda and ther supporting character of Kung Fu Panda 2 and Kung Fu Panda 3. He was the student of the late Master Oogway and the trainer to all the greatest warriors in China, including Po (the Dragon Warrior), the Furious Five. He is also the adoptive father of Tigress and Tai Lung. Appearance Personality Master Shifu was seen as a loving father and devoted teacher to a young Tai Lung when the cub first showed up. But after Tai Lung's betrayal, he became distant, a strict and harsh taskmaster to his students. It wasn't until he had expected to depart from his students one last time that he admitted he was proud of them all, including Tigress, who had especially sought to earn his approval. Since Po's heroism in becoming the Dragon Warrior, Shifu has let go of his bitterness and attained inner peace. He also appears to have a bit of a devious side, and before befriending Po, was shown to have a cruel sense of humor. This was shown from the moment Shifu met Po, as he seemed to take delight in trying to drive the bumbling panda away, slowly turning up the heat with every challenge he gave Po and chuckling to himself at his incompetence. Shifu also exhibits sarcasm. This is seen when he rebuked the Furious Five to be "doing well if they were trying to disappoint him" when they failed to defeat him in a training session earlier in the first film. He also regarded the existence of a "Level Zero" when Po failed at his first day of training. He was also very objective in terms of obedience to his master, following Oogway's every word closely. He exhibited this when he did nothing regarding his master's rejection of his beloved student Tai Lung as the Dragon Warrior, and also when he was forced to fight (albeit halfheartedly) Tai Lung when he tried to steal the Dragon Scroll for himself. This strong sense of obedience and objectivity eventually proved to be one of his strongest characteristics, as seen when he decided to believe and train Po to become the Dragon Warrior due to Oogway's final instructions. Meditative, perceptive, and creative, Shifu approached kung fu and teaching with dynamism. These traits effectively enabled him to see the key to training Po, as seen when instead of reprimanding the latter regarding his "food outbursts", he simply used this knowledge to develop Po's instinctive "food skills" into tremendous kung fu strength, thus paving the way for Po to defeat Tai Lung and ultimately lending a hand in bringing peace to himself. Despite his former hardened heart, Shifu does have a sense of humor. In the credits of the first film, he is seen laughing at the way Tigress was acting, due to seeing that she attempted to try Po's cooking and had a noodle hanging on her lip. He was even able to chuckle at the name Taotie gave to Crane when he was brainwashed, which was "El Storko". Since the events of the first film, Shifu seems to be a much warmer and more understanding master. He has begun to show a gentler nature reflecting that of Oogway's. His attitude had also changed drastically towards Po—while Po's antics still befuddle and frustrate him, he seems to have faith in the panda and a growing confidence in his abilities after underestimating him so many times. For instance, in Secrets of the Furious Five, without previous warning he assigned Po to teach the introductory class to kung fu for young children, expecting him to struggle at such a mature task, only to find the panda excels at it. Furthermore, when he assigned Po to host, cook for, and basically direct the preparation for the refined Winter Feast, he exhibited great pride in him when the task was done. Shifu still seems to struggle with the "illusion of control", as first mentioned by Oogway in the first film. He wanted everything to run perfectly for the Feast, seemingly adamant that the duties and traditions of kung fu were above all others in a warrior's life. And, just when Shifu was praising Po on such exemplary preparation for the Winter Feast, he was beyond shocked when the panda suddenly took his leave. This was followed by a moment of panic when he saw that the smooth course of the evening had been disrupted, and soon believed that it was seemingly ruined. It wasn't until he went down to the noodle shop and saw the joyous gathering for himself that he came to appreciate Po's unorthodox decision. Yet, while still holding firm to the (formal) traditions of the Feast, Shifu's devious side is still apparent—this time, in favor of aiding Po rather than torturing him. This shows when Shifu prompted Po to recite the opening words of the Creed of the Masters, to which Po couldn't bring himself to do from the guilt of leaving his father. Shifu then quietly mentioned to him that he had a feeling he would forget the words, so he wrote them on Po's napkin. Since Shifu's final confrontation with Tai Lung, he has shown to have become emotionally healthier, as indicated by his straightened posture and his more serene attitude after years of bitterly hunching over when on his feet. Role in the Crossover Relationships Fantasy Wind Po Ping Hua Mulan Flik Red Buster Moon Lightning McQueen Mater Princess Sofia Boog Elliot Soren Blu Aladar Mia Thermopolis Clara Stahlbaum Magic Lover Clark Medina Leah Olivar Sam Kazuko Kevin Sebastian Chichay Tampipi Joaquin Manansala Serena Marchesa Tenten Ibarra Eva Mapendo Inno Cortes Heroes of the World Optimus Prime Bumblebee William Lennox Cade Yeager Viviane Wembly Owen Grady Claire Dearing Lara Croft The Big Four Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Jack Frost Merida DunBroch Rapunzel Corona Category:Kung Fu Panda Category:Kung Fu Panda Characters Category:Characters Category:Protagonists Category:Animals Category:Anthropomorphic Category:Tertiary Characters Category:Animated Characters Category:Tragic